Different studies done in the last 20 years regarding workplace violence in EMS. Different studies, different sized departments but all with the same end results. Establishing a safe EMS scene isn’t as easy as it once was, considerations of using gear as a shield and signaling a clear code for trouble over the radio are new concepts to implement when things escalate on scene. Using an over aggression scale that is demonstrated in this session can potentially save you and your partners life.

Caring for sick/injured children is always a challenge unless you are a pediatric specialist with a transport team (which most of us aren’t). Being dispatched to a child with not only an illness but a complex pulmonary condition is even more of a challenge. In this presentation we will review the background training of home health care providers and the family members/caregivers of the patient who are caring for the child at home as well as how to communicate with them and get the pertinent information you need to care for the sick child. Additionally, we will learn to utilize the mnemonic BRAVADO to help make critical care scenarios easier to approach with children with complex pulmonary conditions.

Ketamine has been around longer than most people realize but its use in EMS has increased significantly in the past five years with its indications being expanded as we discover how useful it is in unique situations. The indications and contraindications are reviewed as well as FDA approved usage and “off- label” usage in addition to discussing the side effects and how to minimize those for patient comfort. We will review some case studies in which
ketamine wasn’t effective and discuss what could have been done differently to improve patient outcomes.

12:30 pm - 1:45 pm:

Course 201 -- Lightening Round I-- Medical DirectorsTaneycomo A

Have you ever wanted to know how or why medical directors decide what procedures and protocols they will approve? Our panel of medical directors from around the State will take your questions about best practices, protocols, procedures, and medications and explain why they do or don’t support them and the reasons behind those decisions.

Technology has advanced to the point
that we in healthcare aren’t able to keep up with the latest equipment and devices that help a patient with home care and improve their quality of life. While delivering supplemental oxygen may seem basic, there are new devices on the market that take up less space, are easier to operate and are more efficient than models from 10 years ago. We will review devices that are designed to clear airways more efficiently that the typical suction catheter as well as pacing devices used for children with weak diaphragms that stimulated the ability to take a deep breath in and much more.

Advanced airway management in EMS has always been controversial when looking at the statistics of intubation success rates versus failures resulting in further injury or even death that could have been prevented. Maintaining an airway is a top priority in ALL patients but when is it okay to stick with the basics and simply ventilate someone with a bag-valve mask? Is it ever okay to withhold intubation on a cardiac arrest patient? What are some complications of RSI? What is the SALAD technique and how can we prevent many of the complications that occur with intubation including gross contamination, hypoxia and the
dreaded, “can’t intubate, can’t ventilate” scenario.

2:15 pm - 3:30 pm:

Course 301: Lightning Rounds II
-- Medical DirectorsTaneycomo A

Have you ever wanted to know how or why medical directors decide what procedures and protocols they will approve? Our panel of medical directors from around the State will take your questions about best practices, protocols, prodedures and medications and explain why they do or don’t support them and the reasons behind those decisions.

Participants will gain NEW information on how to mobile and stable. They will leave knowing how to quickly and effectively move while being stable, thereby decreasing risk for injury.
Starting with basic, “ideal” body position, we will discover how to protect ourselves while in positions that are not “ideal” but practical to the EMS profession. In addition, we will discuss effective warm-up methods for our body, and risk management. All of these topics work together to promote mobile and stable personnel, contributing to decreased injury risk.

Critical care is a comprehensive and intense discipline that requires critical thinking skills and the ability to take your assessment and lab value interpretations to the next level. In this session we will use ABG/VBG to manage ventilator settings, use Point-of-care ultrasound images to use as an assessment tool and discern the cause of hypotension based on the above mentioned tests to utilize the correct vasopressor choice and treat shock.

Presentation overview:
The domestic and international terrorist threat to the US Homeland is an overview presentation on the domestic and Islamic extremism organizations, their philosophies, methods of operation, and tradecraft. The presentation specifically examines the homegrown violent extremist (HVE) and lone offender and how the local first responder may be engaged in these events in the US Homeland.

Objectives:

Define the Islamic extremist group ISIL and current method of operation